The Five Boroughs

New York City is made up of five boroughs: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. Each one has enough attractions—and enough personality—to be a city all its own. Learn more about them with this guide.

Runner & Stone285 Third Ave., 718-576-3360, Gowanus, Brooklyn
How lovely is it to walk into a restaurant and feel that everyone cares about what they're doing? Head baker Peter Endriss could be at Per Se or Amy's Bread or Bouchon Bakery or in Italy—and all of those places are on his résumé—but he's here in Gowanus making the butteriest croissants, most delectable buckwheat baguettes and such floral, fluffy brioche you will lament the calories you've misspent on brioches past. Executive chef Chris Pizzulli could still be at Blue Ribbon Brooklyn, where he spent many years, but he's giving his all here to craft duck pastrami, grappa-cured striped bass, braided ricotta ravioli and grilled rib eye that elicits rapture. The modern space is cleanly designed and comfortable, the cocktails delicious, the service attentive and personable. If you live near Gowanus, you could make your visit an all-day affair, coming in for coffee and pastries in the morning, grilled cheddar and pancetta on fresh-baked rye at lunch, back for aperitivo (free snacks) at 4pm, then staying for dinner.